The Ace of Hearts, The Hero of Cards
by RealEWF
Summary: After living for a millennia, Aikawa Hajime, seeing his beloved family die, now lost his purpose and had enough of living and now wished to be sealed again. After one night, he was taken in his sleep and became the hero of cards in a foreign world.
1. Prologue

**After living for a millennia****, Aikawa Hajime, seeing his beloved family die, now lost his purpose and had enough of living and now wished to be sealed again. After one night, he was taken in his sleep and became the hero of cards in a foreign world.**

_(May or may not continue. You can adopt this if you want.)_

* * *

Hajime sad a metallic bench, his face donning his usual frown, for once in his life, he felt great melancholy, this must've been the Human Undead experienced after winning the war. Melancholy of losing those around him. It might've been the reason he didn't try to win the second coming of the war.

He leaned forward and found himself hunched forward with his hands clasped together tightly, and it tightened every second he sat down.

His primal instinct rose in conjunction.

He gritted his teeth in an attempt to suppress it, ever since he lost his purpose, his Joker's primal instincts slowly took him over. And he loathed it. He is successful in suppressing it everyday, but the more he looses himself, the more it gets powerful, his fears may become true.

Becoming Joker again.

He bitterly shook his head at the thought as he suppressed his instincts again, he got to his old bike and made it run to his settlement.

For a few minutes he had got there, the reason why he was away is because he needed a short walk, even as an immortal, his body still needs to unrust or he'll find himself in a pinch with joint stiffness.

He smiled at the sight of his home, it was the same room Kenzaki brought him to when was defeated by Garren, Tachibana Sakuya and when his primal instincts had taken him over and had a large struggle against it. Let out a small smile at the memories.

The inside was usual, dusty wood floors, pots and kettles with a stone made stove run by burning logs, termite ridden walls and room. This is his home.

He took a peek at the window for time, it's reaching night time.

He laid the straw mat to the ground and unfurled it, he had no pillows to catch and rest his head in or a blanket to cover him at the cold nights, he is ok with it, he had suffered worse, he slept soundly in a blizzard once and slept rougher conditions, he found this a luxury. He let his eyes rest, and found himself in a dreamless sleep.

Unknown to him, a rune made portal manifested, and brightly light engulfed the rundown house. Later that morning, Aikawa Hajime is gone.

* * *

Effort: Low.


	2. Buried, Change, Two Adventurers

Hajime didn't like being buried.

One in the battle royale, Chalice, the Ace of Hearts, once used a cliff to bury him In dirt. A good idea, yet it's execution is the worst in his opinion and only managed to bury him in rocks for a good few seconds before breaking free, and being buried sucked.

Hajime panted and grunted as he made an effort to dig himself out, but a tight feeling on his chest and the feeling of weakness made itself clear that he won't be getting out easy. Making matters worse, he felt weakened.

Him being weakened doesn't mean he wouldn't give up on his way of getting himself out, he's stubborn.

Gritting his teeth, his arms began to move back, as he forced his hand to his coat, the spaces that the hand created caved in and dirt occupied it. He didn't care about anything around him, he wanted to survive.

Fishing out a random card, he willed his buckle to existence and slowly moved his hand there, he felt woozy as the remaining oxygen inhaled. He didn't have much time left.

He felt his eyelids get heavier the seconds go by, with a grit of his teeth, he used the last of his strength to scan the card. The buckle grew bright, the card he held dissipated and dissolved to create his form, he felt strength and power injected into his undead blood streams.

**{Change}**

The usual 'Change' phrase used is slightly different as it's announcer had a slightly higher pitch. Indigo colored Aura enveloped him like a thin veil of energy, and it bursted outwards and transformed him with the Card's armor. Hajime didn't bother to inspect the armor as he assumed it to be his Rider Armor, Chalice and he didn't have time for it.

With the armor now donned, He used it's provided strength and pushed the rocks aside and back. But even with the armor, he still felt that heaviness and tightness on his chest, but he didn't care, he wanted to survive and didn't want to get buried alive. It'll be a big blow on a powerful Undead's pride if he was defeated by a mere landslide.

Dirt, rocks and gravel flew like bullets as he emerged from the dirt like Enkidu on his day of creation. He panted heavily as he felt fresh air invade his nostrils. The said air felt too fresh and clean, it's suspicious.

But he didn't care, he survived.

He sluggishly returned the Ace and fished out another one of his and shakily scanned it.

**{Spirit}**

A thin, nearly transparent wall materialized before him, with some trembling steps, he passed through it, and he turned back to his human form. Albeit the coat and pants he wore were in tatters and its tainted by his undead blood.

He looked around, there's no sign of his house in the debris, no splinters or broken wood. He frowned, his only shelter now devoured by dirt and debris.

He turned back and his hands felt numb as he poorly limped, he couldn't see well due to the lack of oxygen and lethargy he's currently feeling.

He hoped that he could be saved, but who would save a monster? He shook his aching head at the thought.

His body still felt heavy and hot, he had trouble lifting his leg without the ever constant chance of tumbling down, he felt pain everywhere especially his back and his eyes felt blurry, heavy, and it hurts. He didn't want to walk anymore, but it's a necessity.

He limped and limped till he couldn't do so anymore...

He later found himself at the side of the road, and collapsed from there, his body now reaching it's limits on keeping itself up, and combining it with the ever so heavy, and tight feeling on his chest. He felt lethargic and his intense injuries made it hell to move his body even by an inch.

His tired and blurry eyes closed, his body fell to the grass. He slept as soon as he landed.

* * *

"Should we save him?"

A slam was heard "Well _duh,_ We should!" A girl yelled as she reprimanded the boy.

The boy groaned as a comically oversized lump grew on his head, both are adventurers, and they're still starting out based on their appearance. The boy and the girl looked rather young, black wavy hair and had that pure eyes every greenhorn had and the girl had a dark brown hair tied into a ponytail with the bangs combed to the side.

The boy wore a leather vest as armor covering his green shirt with a brown Scottish skirt covering his legs in boots while the girl wore a simple cloak and had a seriously intricate green dress. and he held a short sword as his main weapon while the other had a simple wooden staff. A Swordsman and Mage. Though the mage looked more like a royal without the cloak and the boy looked weird with the skirt of his.

Still massaging his overgrown lump of his, he turned to the mage "Alright, I was just asking woman" he said with a irritated tone, the girl huffed "you don't need to ask someone whether or not they're in need of being saved"

The boy sheathed his blade and didn't complain, as much as he wanted to complain or retort, he didn't want to be growing another lump on his head, because she sure hits hard for a mage.

The mage looked at the unconscious man, he's still breathing from the looks of it, his chest inflating and deflating slowly, her grip tightened.

"I'm going in, Minami, please lookout for monsters" the girl now held her staff with both hands and rushed to the man after she finished, the Boy, now named Minami, grew a surprised expression before briefly composing himself and ran after the mage.

Balloon, hidden in tall grass jumped before the girl, the balloons were thick and colored black, they had a half circle shaped eyes that emphasized that they're aggro'd/angry, they have sharp teeth that can possibly bite through leather.

The girl gasped as she was assaulted by the blackened balloons, she crossed her arms to defend herself.

"Eh?" Instead of pain rushing through her system, a loud pop was heard.

"Good thing this sword is sharp" Muttered Minami as he easily popped the other, the Blackened balloons are much more durable, as a normal blade couldn't Pierce through its thick rubberized hide and it's durable as a car tire.

After the two kills, Exp flooded through them.

**50+ EXP**

**50+ EXP**

Minami looked at his companion with a frown. "I thought I am the idiot here, Amane" he teases as his frown quickly turned into a smug grin. In return, he got slammed to the head using her staff.

The now named girl, Amane, glared at the young swordsman "I didn't knew those black balloons hung around these parts" she countered with the same irritated glare piercing Minami.

Minami silently thanked the blacksmith as he picked up the remains of the balloon, ignoring Amane's protests.

He looked at his mage with slight confusion "What do you mean?"

The girl huffed "They hang out in secluded parts of the forests and never come out fight unless necessary, it's very strange that black balloons, two of them, are out of their home" Amane explained with slight worry.

"Oh... I thought they were just extra rare balloons" Amane now had an irrate expression "Who told you that?" She questioned.

Minami sheepishly scratched his unkept hair "Rumors?" Amane just stared with a blank look. The swordsman cringed

"I... just assumed..." He caved in with her stare, she just sighed deeply and walked to the unconscious man.

She just sighed "Good thing your sword is sharp enough" she grumbled, both man and woman made their way to the unconscious man.

The man had weird clothing, they were dirtied and they are in tatters with bits of rock and gravel in his weird coat. What also covered his clothing is some weird green slimly goo that probably spells trouble.

Her face scrunched "What are these?" She mumbled, she touched the green liquid with her fingers, it doesn't seem to be harmful. She took a wiff of the odd green slime and scrunched out of pure disgust.

"Ew! This thing smells gross!" She immediately wiped it off using the man's tattered trenchcoat. It just resulted to her getting it smeared into her hand, she shrieked.

"Get this thing off me!"

"DON'T WIPE AT MY SKIRT WOMAN!"

A few seconds after the green goo fiasco, she ended up wiping it on Minami's skirt much to his dismay. The two, with a bit of persuading/blackmailing relating to a certain event, decided to carry him to the main road to take a hitchhike to a nearby lake to clean his body and remains of his clothing. Why not the capital? Because she doesn't want people to see her dirtied form. (Minami rolled his eyes "you should've just washed home")

"Hey Amane, do you know what these cards are?" Minami queried, he held two card in one hand, the other hooking the man's leg. The other leg fell and became ragdoll that skidded by the grass.

Amane, holding him with both hand by the midsection, facing away from the green slimed man and away from her smell, she's already having second thoughts of carrying him via Two-Man carry.

"C-Cards?" She stuttered, Minami nodded "Yeah, these wierd cards. Care to inspect them?" Though he couldn't see it, she nodded and cringed on how the green slime spreaded towards neck, it's cold and it made her shiver.

"Y-Yeah..." She answered silently, she cried inside 'I WANT THIS TO EEEENND!' she cried in her head in agony.

Just a little bit more young woman, just a little more.

* * *

In the end of the day, the managed to get him to the main road, and they've decided to get him to the capital of melromarc much to her dismay.

"No!-"

"PLEASE! It's nearing night time and I don't want to pay for the curfew!" Minami is now in a dogeza on the ground, covered in slime and it's the same for the girl, even with the pay he gets, it's still isn't enough to pay curfew for his demonic landlady, as it costs 5 gold coins. 5 GOLD coins to pay curfew, he didn't want be in large dept with that demonic landlady of his.

She huffed, but seeing her friend in this position did made her pity the man, he has to 5 gold coins and they are still starting out, with great reclutance, she finally revealed her answer.

"Fine! But you better wash all my clothes tomorrow alright?!" He didn't care, with so much happiness of not being in serious debt, he jumped and whooped loud.

She covered her ears at the man's loud and happy shouting, why is this man celebrating this much? With one swing, she slammed her staff at his head, silencing him.

"Shut up! And where's that card you mentioned?" She demanded he massaged his lump and handed her the cards while muttering inaudible stuff.

She inspected the cards, intrigued. They may not feel it at the first glance, but these card exerted power she's seen before, especially the other card.

The first had a human with chains on his heart and on the side, it said: "Spirit" with a II and a heart on top but she couldn't read it due to language differences. This one felt very powerful, but not as powerful as the other.

As of the other card, it had a picture of an insect with a red orb on the middle and it's background was blank and nothing else. It didn't have a number or a symbol and the text is moved bellow. Unknown to her, it's text said "Change". The power this card exerted is powerful yet it felt like it's in restraint.

Minami noticed that girl's stare of bewilderment at the cards and tapped on her shoulder, startling her and causing her to slam him again on the noggin.

"S-Sorry, but where did you get these?" She had an expression of bewilderment and caution, his scrunched up expression turned to curiosity "What of it?"

"What of it?' this thing exerted power, PLENTY of power, where did you get this?" She asked with a serious, 'this is not a joke' tone. Before she could raise her staff, he raised both his hands to the air.

"I found it in this pocket!" Her eyes widened, is he collecting these? She gulped the bile on her throat.

She lowered her staff and looked at the cards before handing it back to her partner.

"Do you know anything?" Amane shook her head "What I do know is that these-"

"Are not to be touched"

"EEP!" She let of the cards and they flew to the ground, Minami curiisly tried to look for the source but found nothing "Ghost?" Minami marvelled at the thought of talking to a ghost, but Amane isn't the same as the swordsman, whom just looked for the said ghost, ready to slam it with her staff.

Minami looked at his partner at confusion "Fearless against monsters but scared of ghosts? Bwa- OW!" before he could start guffawing like an idiot, she slammed him down again.

"What? Embarrassed?" She had a pinkish tint on her cheeks and puffed her cheeks. He started to slam him down repeatedly to down out her embarrassment but no avail, he just kept guffawing like an idiot while shielding himself from her wrath.

Unknown to them, the 'ghost' sighed in relief.

After horsing around for a while, a Traveller found them and wordlessly brought them and the unconscious man to the capital of Melromarc.

* * *

**AN: ok, the reviews here expecting me to update forced him to watch the shield hero and make this second chapter. This is more a filler chapter that introduced the two newbie adventurers that rescued Hajime and also an introduction to some OC monster related to the balloon monster. As for that Ghost, it'll be revealed for the next chapter. **

**Here's some unsaid stuff:**

**Minami:**

**-Age: 15**

**-A reference to Kamen Rider Black name-wise.**

**Amane:**

**-NOT _that_ Amane in Kamen Rider Blade**

**-Age 15**

**Any pointers, criticism, thoughts, and ideas are appreciated.**


End file.
